


GIFTS FOR MEINEN FRUENDEN

by starspawnedwarlock



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Hiveswap, Homestuck
Genre: Derse (Homestuck), Derse Dreamers, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 01:57:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17153132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starspawnedwarlock/pseuds/starspawnedwarlock
Summary: LOVE YOU GUYS SO FREAKIN MUCH(order and length is not relative to anything)





	1. Aeris

 Roxy hummed as they walked down the length of the Dersian corridor, the bottom of their dress slightly brushing against the electric purple carpet that ran along the entire length. They were surrounded by the tall walls, covered in arches and spires, all purple. They glanced up to the high vaulted ceiling, partially expecting to see their brother amongst the supports and platforms. He had a bad habit of climbing, one that even the Queen couldn’t discipline out of him. They had given up trying some time ago.

 They supposed they couldn’t blame him; the amount of climbable spots within the castle had gotten to their several times before, leading to some interesting moments. They particularly remembered the time that their and their youngest brother had dropped a large quantity of smuppets onto the Archagent below. He really was not amused. That was also the time that they learned he carried a knife at all times, when he was left standing amongst a massacred battlefield of fluff and puppet ass. The Queen hadn’t exactly approved, but found it amusing nonetheless. Jack, of course, could say nothing but nod. Cons of having to serve.

 Laughing at the memory, the princess continued on their way. They grimaced at the slight discomfort their dress was giving them. They knew full well how uncomfortable it would be, but, it was simply too great to wait for comfort modifications. It was an array of vibrant purples, ranging from dark to near fuchsia. There were several layers of purple in the skirt, which bloomed outgiving their legs room to move around with touching the dress itself. Their arms were free, with two loose strips of violet cloth around their upper arms. There was a wide, dark purple at his midsection, decorated with a large crescent moon, purple. The symbol of the Dersian Kingdom. It was a masterpiece of a build. Kanaya had really outdone herself in making it.

 Getting it sent over from Prospit was really a hassle, what with all the portal precautions and safety measures They had to override, but it was entirely worth it. They sometimes loathed the distrust that the Kingdom held for Prospit, but theysupposed that centuries of war were not often forgot about in a matter of years. Either way, they were making progress. Maybe in a few months they could even get a visit over, meet their friends in person without having to sneak about. They knew their siblings would enjoy that greatly, with their “good friends” on the other planet.

 Roxy couldn’t help but smile. They supposed they had something nearing that over there. But they would get to meet that person soon.

 The Lalonde was still smiling as they pushed through the massive doors into the lounging room. They took a second to open, and revealed the large room to them. It was lavish to be sure. There were a multitude of couches and piles of pillows scattered around. Two large tables were placed together, scattered with sheets and small boxes. Looks like they had already set up for the coming session.

 As they entered a head popped up from a couch facing away from them. A face covered with shades looked over to them.

 “Yo, Rolal’s here!” Dave called out, prompting another head to pop up from another couch. Rose smiled at her, waving.

 “Hello Roxy, had a good morning I trust?”

 Roxy grinned and rubbed the back of thier head. “Yeaaah, I may have slept in. Sorry.”

 Waving their hand in dismissal, Rose reassured them. “It’s fine, we got the table prepared in the supplementary time.”

 Looking around the room, the Lalonde noted two others. Feferi and Eridan were sitting near the table discussing their characters. Feferi waved over to Roxy with her usual vigour. Eridan nodded over.

 Roxy nodded, before furrowing their brows. “Where’s Dirk?”

 Dave pointed up as a shape dropped down from the ceiling, landing smoothly a meter or two in front of them. Rising up, they got a nod from their brother. Roxy just stared at him.

 “I’m not even surprised really.”

 Dirk gave the slightest of grins, before walking over to the table. The other three Strilondes followed suite, taking their place around the table, save for Roxy who walked over to the closet.

 “Let me just invite our guests, hopefully I didn’t leaving them hanging for too long.”

  They opened the closet, and hummed as they pulled out a large fenestrated plane. Laying it down, they smiled, dragging the plug over to a nearby wall. With a lick, the plane lit up, casting bright light out to the purple room. There was an odd sound, before the connection was finally made.

 The Lalonde rubbed theirhands together as the others watched. There were a few moments of naught, before suddenly a figure burst from the plane, followed by a few more. Roxy giggled to herself as they tried to extricate themselves from the tangle on the floor they had become.

 Calliope was the first up, taking a deep breath, before seeing Roxy. They greeted them over the yelling and one particularly loud voice from the pile.

 “Roxy! Oh my, it is so great to see you!” Calliope clapped their hands together, walking up to the Lalonde, who hugged the skeleton tightly.

 “You too! You ready for the session?” Callie nodded enthusiastically.

 Roxy could hear Dave laughing as the next person managed to get themselves up. Kanaya looked around the room, waving at Roxy before turning to Rose, who gave her a sly smile. The Maryam settled down beside Rose, making her greetings.

 Next up was Jake, who was laughing at what he considered an impromptu rough and tumble. Getting up, he shined a wide grin in Roxy’s direction.

 “Morning Roxy!” He spoke brightly, giving them a massive hug. Roxy couldn’t stop herself from laughing.

 “Morning Jake, you whippersnapper!” They imitated his odd phrases, summoning a bout of giggles from the boy. He glanced around, then saw Dirk. After a quick, awkward bow, he moved over to talk to the Strider. Roxy could swear they saw the tiniest of smiles light up the edge of Dirk’s mouth. Maybe they were just imagining it though. Nah, they weren’t.

 The game wasn’t really Jake’s thing, so he preferred to just sit by and watch,

 Last up was Karkat, who looked exceedingly annoyed as Dave helped him up from his agitated scrambling on the floor. Dave had a large smirk across his face, seeing Karkat’s angry frown.

 “I’m fine!” He yelled in his usual tone, one displeased and loud. He didn’t say anything to Roxy, just walking over to the table, where sat beside Dave.

 The Lalonde turned to Callie, who was looking up at them excitedly. “You ready to get this going?”

 “Ah, yes. I have all the sheets and plans for the campaign all prepped. I will have them all out in a jiffy.” Callie ran over the table, setting down their large folder packed with sheets. They really was the best suited out of all of them. They had no doubt written pages upon pages of planned plot and developments, descriptions of locations, mechanics and creatures. It was quite impressive.

 As Callie began to set up their DM’ing area, the others took their seats. In clockwise from Callie, it was Roxy, Dave, Karkat, Kanaya, Rose then Dirk, with Jake sitting just beside him, then Eridan and Feferi. They all smiled, passing jokes between each other as they pulled up their character sheets and opened their sets of dice.

 It wasn’t their first session, as their characters were already near level 10. Roxy glanced around, trying to remember each of the PC’s.

 Dave had his Aarakocra bard. Nothing surprising there. Lord Fossilus Phalificus III, aspiring master in the art of slam poetry. The name had reduced Roxy to tears the first time they heard it, and even Dirk cracked a smile. Eridan merely turned his nose up, while Fef giggled beside him. The bragging bard has worked his way deep into the hearts of the other players of the campaign with little effort.

 Karkat’s half-orc fighter, Chron, was somehow the leader of the party. The axe wielding fighter was a good foe, although he had been downed more than once, in several battles. Fossilus had made quite a habit of dissing the injured orc at those times, much to Karkat’s dismay.

 Kanaya was working well with her Sun-Elf Sorcerer. Ulavi was a powerful spellcaster, and had a quite efficient roster of effects to unleash on the battlefield when the occasion called for it. The Manor of the Magister learned that the hard way, as it was but a pile of ash, frozen wood, and crackling metal. And she had dismissed it with but a shrug.

 Rose’s human wizard, Perennial was making good progress, and had proven herself adept with a multitude of spells. The party had been saved more than once on account of a well-placed fireball or cleverly used mage hand. Roxy wasn’t sure if they had reached the level of their old wizard. In the last campaign, Roxy had the wizard, while Rose used a warlock, but they had agreed to switch to see how things would go.

 The Half-Elf Monk Sawtooth, belonging to Dirk, was a deft and nimble combatant. He would often engage in battles of wordy wits with Fossilus, leading to some extraordinary matches that could take up far too much of a session. But the most impressive thing that Sawtooth had done was surely his exploits at the clock-tower, faced against the chief sorcerer general of the Red Sun. But he surely wouldn’t have achieved such a feat without the help of the birdman, who flew above, striking inspiring chords and busting hella energising rhymes.

 Then was Eridan’s character. A Drow oathbreaker paladin, with an affinity for crossbows and slight racism against non-elves. Kampus, of a noble line of Underdark pirates. He was quite morally grey, and was not trusted more oft than he was. His destructive tendencies meant he was usually kept on a short leash, but when released in combat, he was a force to be reckoned with. His destruction of the squad of Iron Disciples during the intrigue of the Magister was something to behold.

 Feferi’s character was something quite heartening. The tiefling cleric of life, Cephalo, was the healer of the party, and was a blue skinned bringer of laughter. She hadn’t done much in the way of glorious feats, but had kept the party going through moral and magical support from day one. Chron would surely have died if not for her.

 Last of all was Roxy’s character. The Aasimar Warlock of the Great Old One, Frigglish. The name might not be perfectly suited to the setting or character, but Roxy reckoned it was better than Bone Dick. The warlock was exceptionally gifted in utility, but had the usual offensive prowess that the class was known for. His personal quest was a deep one, serving his extradimensional patron in bringing about its summoning. Originally they were going for something much sillier, and had even referred to it as a “sugar daddy that fucks minds”, but Calliope gently steered it in a more serious direction, and Roxy found the revised plot path to be quite enticing.

 Calliope was the DM of course. They were probably the best that they ever had. Their attention to detail and linking of the characters and events was extraordinary. It was like a web of their own design, where every action the characters took would send a ripple that would find its way back to them eventually. Such a thing had just happened in the end of the last session. The remnants of the Magister’s forces had cornered them in an old fortress. The son of the sorcerer general was leading them now, and was determined to enact revenge.

 They picked up with a quick description of the scene from Callie.

 “You are at the bottom of the recessed chamber, surrounded by high cave walls. Two platforms are on either side of the ramp leading out of recess. An archer stands atop each of the platform, their bows drawn. The ramp is occupied by half a dozen soldiers, with a few more behind, along with a chained up ogre. The son of the sorcerer general stands with his sword drawn in front of them. Pointing his sword at Sawtooth, he issues a challenge.”

 ““Jester! I am here to claim the life of he who snuffed the glorious light of mine father!”” Calliope acted out the actions and voiced him, using their increased vocal range as a cherub.

 Dirk leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “Sawtooth scratches his chin. “I’d liken him more to a flickering flame of a brothel’s lamp, but, everyone has their opinion I guess.”” A few members at the table giggled, Callie among them. They gathered their composure, and stepped back into narrative mode.

 “The leader’s face grows red, and he raises his sword, before swinging it in Sawtooth’s direction. “Kill him!” He screams, shaking in anger.” Dirk nodded, as he fully expected this development. “The two archers aim at you, and fire.” Calliope rolled two (presumably) D20’s behind their screen.

 They glanced up to Dirk. “7 and 18?” The Strider cocked an eyebrow.

 “The eighteen gets me, but I’ll try to catch it in the air.” Callie nodded.

 “The arrow can’t do more damage that your Monk level so it’s an automatic success.”

 “You gonna throw it bro?” Dave inquired, tilting his head.

 “For the pursuit of greater Irony: I shall.” Dave nodded in respect. “I use a Ki point to throw it at brothel-lamp’s son.” He grabbed a D20 from his pool, and rolled it. It came up as a 20. There was an outburst of cheer from the table. Jake patted Dirk’s shoulder in celebration “That’s six for the arrow plus 4 proficiency, 10 damage.”

 Callie chuckled. “The arrow sails towards you, but you catch it, spinning around to keep the momentum, then releasing in the direction of the leader. It spends a precious moment in the air, before implanting deeply into his shoulder. He stumbles back, as the soldiers behind him surge forth to attack. Roll initiative.”

 There was another cheer from the table, as all the players rolled their D20s.

 The order was decided. Kanaya, Roxy, Dave, Feferi, Dirk, Eridan, Rose, and lastly: Karkat, who rolled a one. Dave gave him a dig in the side at that, laughing. The Vantas just looked quite pissed, by Roxy’s judgement at least. The soldiers were scattered amongst them, with an archer being the highest, just under Roxy.

 And so the battle started, and the dice went in full swing. Kanaya was up first, and loosed a fireball into the group of soldiers. It decimated half of them, although scorched Chron, much to Karkat’s dismay. Dismay meaning that he swore angrily at Kanaya, who laughed a bit at his reaction. Frigglish was next, and cast a witch bolt at the ogre. He rolled decently, and did 11 damage.

 ““Keep me covered!” Frigglish yells out to his party, striking the pose of a badass bitch with lightning hands.” Roxy narrated, extremely pleased with their dice roll.

 Dave went with crown of madness aimed at an archer, after soaring into the air. The table groaned as Callie rolled a Nat 20 on the wisdom saving throw, allowing the archer to resist.

 Cephalo administered cure wounds to Chron. “That is… six, then nine!” She clapped her hands together as Karkat altered his character sheet to account for the healing.

 Sawtooth was up next, and leaped into the remaining soldiers. “I do two attacks with my short-sword.” He rolled two D20s. “With modifiers: 16 and 21?” Callie nodded. “Both hit.”

 Roxy whistled in respect. “How come you’re getting all the good rolls?”

 Dirk shrugged and selected two D6s. The damage done was a 5 and 8. He aimed the 8 at the most damaged soldier, downing him, while going for the second with the five. “Follow up with an unarmed strike.” Unfortunately, he rolled a 5, missing him.

 The ogre surged forward, and made an attack against Chron. He succeeded, and dealt ten more damage to Karkat, who at this point was exceedingly agitated. Roxy couldn’t help but laugh as he put a death grip on the edges of the table.

 Kampus aimed his crossbow up at an archer. Due to the short range, he had disadvantage, yet still managed to roll high enough. Eridan rolled an 8 on damage. “The bolt impacts with the archer, knocking him back a few steps, but he still stands.” Callie informed the players.

 “Perennial steps forth, waving her staff in intricate motions of fluidity and grace,” Rose began, as the other players leaned in, attentive to hear. “Her steps are in melodious rhythm with the engraved metal focus, as she reaches the forefront of the party. She brings the staff above her head, and yells out an incantation of great complexity and harmony. With great force she brings it down, and summons forth a wall of fierce flame.”

 At the spells name there was a cheer. The spell cut into the soldiers at the back, forming a massive boundary of roaring flame. “The cave is lit orange with the lethal illuminance, as the screams of the soldiers echo.”

 With the introduction of Rose’s spell, the expectations on Karkat to not fuck up were legendary, Roxy noted, as he picked a target to swing his axe for. Selecting a die, he brought it up, and prepared to roll.

 “You got this,” Dave assured him.

 “Yeah bro, this shit is beyond yours.” Dirk joined in on the encouragement.

 “You got the certified deeds on this stuff.” Roxy felt the need to join in.

 Karkat took a breath, before tossing his dice. It tumbled across the table, before landing.

 One.

 “FUCK THIS!” Karkat pushed away from the table as everyone burst out laughing. “FUCK THIS UNBALANCED ASS GAME WITH STUPID RULES THAT MAKE JACK SHIT SENSE!” 

 Barely able to stand due to his laughter, Dave went after the angry troll, who was screaming an all manner of obscenities as he went back through the fenestrated plane. Callie looked around the table.

 “I think perhaps it would be best that we would wait for Karkat to return before we continue.” There was a murmur of agreement among the party, before they began a few small conversations amongst themselves. Roxy turned to Callie, who was sorting through yet more sheets, and making modifications and amendments spontaneously as they saw fit.

 “I think his luck is getting to him.” Callie giggled and nodded in reply.

 “I will give him a pass or two once he comes back, maybe cheer him up.”

 “Yeah that would probably be best,” Roxy agreed. “Did you see that wicked spell I did?”

 “I did indeed, love, it was quite a good idea using witch bolt against the ogre. I’m sure with a few more rounds of that concentrated will down it.”

 “Heck yeah!” Roxy leaned back in their chair, looking around their party. They were all having their small conversations with their partners. It was quite adorable.

 Rose and Kanaya were exchanging their lines charged with innuendo and suggestion, and Roxy could clearly see their eyebrows doing an impressive amount of conveying. Eridan and Feferi were discussing their characters at length, with the Ampora certainly leading the conversation. He really was a dork. Dirk and Jake were having… a conversation? It was mostly Jake gushing about random things while Dirk watched, with his partially subdued smile.

 Roxy turned back to their DM. They rested their elbows on the table, and their head in their hands, looking up at the standing Cherub.

 “You’re doing really good Callie.” Callie smiled down to her, a slight lime blush coming to their dark cheeks.

 “Thank you, love, I try my best.” Roxy gave them a happy grin, then looked back to the fenestrated plane, from where they could hear Karkat’s agitated voice returning. Looks like Chron would be joining the party once more.


	2. Noah

 You’re honestly quite surprised, waking up to Lynera’s message. It isn’t the fact that she is messaged you itself, as she does that quite often (sometimes alarmingly so), but instead the matter she broached within. With her overuse of exclamation points on hand, she raised the idea of another attempt at making friends. It is obvious that she is unsure in what she is asking, but the enthusiasm involved in just asking is impressive in itself.

 You hurriedly text back an acceptance. You’d love to spend some more time in your friend’s company. Sure, making new friends is fun, but it does get exhausting. Time to strengthen those shining bonds of glorious friendship with the most exquisite activities of companionship. Or something like that. You’re just hoping she doesn’t stab anyone. That would be rather not good.

 The sun is just setting, and the moons rising, as you leave the place you’ve been hold up that past few days. The Jade caverns aren’t exactly close, but you’ll be there in no time should you take your recently acquired scuttlebuggy. The drive is pretty uneventful. You see some trolls wandering the streets, some with purpose, and some without. You pass a scuttlebuggy or two, trying to ignore the inquisitive stares of the possible friends. Now isn’t the time for friend making, that’s for later.

 But something that does catch your eye, is the snow. You didn’t think you’d see snow on this planet. You thought it might be an earth-only thing, for some reason. But it’s beautiful. There’s a blanket of it beginning to settle on the ground, forming a white sheet as far you can see. If it weren’t for the mass of burgundy bloods shovelling it up, you’re sure it would be a foot high in no time.

 You arrive at the Jade caverns not an hour later, and walk joyfully in. Lynera is there and waiting. She is smiling pleasantly at you, although you can see the faint tugs of apprehensiveness on her eyes. Before you can speak she is already greeting you.

 She brushes her hair behind her ear as she speaks, seeming subtly nervous.

-ah hello!

-i hope you had a pleasant journey

 You assure her that you did, before asking her if she is sure about trying again. You still are quite concerned with her volatile antics. You don’t want to risk her snapping at a highblood without considering the consequences.

 She laughs uneasily, shrugging slightly.

-im sure I can handle it this time!

-i wont do anything brash i promise!

 She sounds hopeful, at least. Things could actually go well this time. It’s just a matter of making sure she doesn’t go off the rails. That shouldn’t be too hard. Yeah you’re definitely jinxing yourself with that.

 You both leave in the scuttlebuggy, heading to another small café that you feel has the chilled out vibe you need to coax Lynera from her shell once again. It was a short journey, only a few minutes from the caverns, and you find it empty enough.

 There are only a few trolls here, spread out. Some are working on grubtops or having quiet conversations. Much the same as last time.

 You and Lynera sit at a table, looking around to see any prospective friends for her. You aren’t long sitting down when she speaks, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

-i uh

-maybe i didnt think this through enough

-!!! i should have taken time to prepare for the disorganisation and the plots they could be pulling !!!

 Yeah you’d be lying if you said you weren’t expecting this. Nevertheless, you try to reassure her of her actions. You’ve come this far, might as well keep going.

-im not sure

-this seems really risky!

 Thinking about it, maybe keeping an on-edge Lynera in a room with a group of strangers isn’t the best idea. But it wouldn’t be all that fun to just leave, and waste the prospective time spent with your friend. Maybe there is something else you could do. You consult Lynera in this.

 She frowns slightly.

-im not up here often so i dont really know any other places we could go

-do you know any?

 You can’t think of many places that would suit Lynera. Although there is always time to simply go looking. Nothing like a bit of exploring with friends. That sure hasn’t turned out badly for you before.

 You casually suggest the only slightly life threatening idea to your jadeblood friend.

-i suppose we might as well do something

-you lead the way!

 Not really sure where you’re going to go, you emerge from the café. You’re pleasantly surprised with the amount of snow that has built up. Lynera seems to be pleased as well.

-i havent seen snow like this in sweeps!

-we usually dont get any in the caverns

-i missed it quite a bit

 That is kinda sad. But, the snow is right there, so you see no reason why that can’t be the stand upon which your friend-date is built. You suggest the idea to Lynera.

-!!! thats a great idea !!!

-we have to go and get some 12th perigee clothes first!

 You’re not exactly sure what that means, but decide to follow her advice. You’ve learned that if a troll says a word you don’t understand, then they know much more that you do. Most of the time.

 You return to the caverns and wait outside, as instructed. Lynera soon returns, now clothed in warmer gear. She’s wearing a thick coat, and a bobbled beanie with holes with her horns. She is also carrying… ice skates. This could turn out far more interesting that you anticipated. She smiles and waves as she approaches, and reveals a pair of warm gloves and a hat, she had brought for you.

-dont want you getting cold either

 Grateful for the garments, you prepare the scuttlebuggy, before Lynera stops you.

-i think we should walk

-its a shame to not enjoy the snow

 Agreeing with her, you leave the vehicle.

 The snow is indeed beautiful and is falling around you in droves as you and Lynera walk along the pavement. You see trolls of different blood colours enjoying the frozen downfall, seemingly forgetting their massive hatred of each other (save for kismesis of course). You see trolls having snowball fights as you near a large park. One or two of the snowballs land very close to you, causing Lynera to glare with pure paranoia.

 Apart from her occasional stares of murder, Lynera seems to be enjoying herself. She has a small smile on her face as she admires the white blanket. It’s a serene sight to be sure.

 The walk continues on for a while, Lynera randomly bursting into explanations of certain aspects of jadeblood life. From what you can tell, she has an impressive amount of knowledge on the subject, both in troll reproductive systems and, surprisingly, troll society. You are almost fully sure that Jades really aren’t socially allowed to learn that stuff but, what do you know?

 It is only as you approach the large frozen lake in the centre of the snowy park that she begins to speak of something different.

-its been so long since ive skated

-do you mind if we have a try?

 You certainly do not. Lynera smiles at you, and finds a bench to begin putting on her skates. You’re somewhat reluctant to try, for fear of embarrassing yourself in front of the troll. But her excited smile gets the better of you, and you relent. You sit down alongside her, and begin putting on your skates.

 Lynera has them on before you, swiftly tying the laces and standing up. She does a funny walk as she trudges through the snow towards the lake. But after a second she reaches it, and begins to move along the ice, quickly gaining composure.

 You watch from the bench as she glides along the surface of the lake, arms tucked behind her. She does a small spin, while admiring the wintery scenery around her.

 Now quite eager to join, you finish putting on the skates, and wobble slightly as you make your way out to the ice. Unfortunately, it’s been a while since you’ve skated, and the time did not favour your skills well.

 You slip and begin to fall, seeing your reflection in the ice come closer as you do. But just before you embarrass yourself to never recover, you are caught by a friend.

-!!! are you okay? !!!

 She’s slightly more worried than is necessary, but you don’t mind. With seemingly no effort at all, she lifts you back onto your feet, patting away the snow covering your shoulder. A slightly concerned smile covers her face.

 You assure her that you are quite alright, and once again try to skate. To make sure you don’t fall again, or maybe just to be friendly, Lynera holds your hand, guiding you as you skate.

 You spend pleasant hours there, gliding along the frozen surface, you hand in hers. There are a few other trolls there, most failing at skating, although a few are managing well.

 For once, Lynera seems pretty calm. She isn’t as tense as normal, and seems to be enjoying the atmosphere and the weather. This has turned out exceedingly better than you thought it would. Even if she still is a bit uptight regarding new people, the willingness to try sure is progress.


	3. Phoenix

 Latula grinned widely as she soared through the air, the board beneath her spinning in a varial. She relished in the feeling of the phantasmal wind flow through her hair, and her clothes rippling with her speed. With a loud laugh, she got the board aligned with her feet, and landed upon the other end of the ramp. The sound of wheels spinning across the stone was barely audible over the music blaring in her headphones. She bent her knees slightly and leaned, curving around the hives of her old neighbourhood.

 She remembered the streets like the back of her hand. Her travels brought her here many times. She didn’t mind, however, as the curbing here was perfect for grinds. At that thought, she veered close to one, and popped her board off the ground, pivoting it in the air to be at an angle with the curb. She maintained her balance as she rode the curb for a few meters, before hopping off, and continuing to roll down the street with a small bit of speed.

 She glanced up to the dream-bubble sky, throwing an eyebrow up at the faint purplish hue that covered the expanse. She could also make out the shining beacon of the green sun. It had appeared rather recently, making itself knowing with a brilliant illuminance. Latula slowed to a halt, before stepping off the board, and kicking it up to her hand. She looked up to the star, the green light reflecting slightly off her red shades. She wondered for how long it would be there. Some of the more interested members of her session had suggested that it could be functionally immortal. Too many things were immortal these days.

 Hopping back on her board, Latula began down the street again, headed for her hive. She turned a few more corners, hopping to grind along a low wall as she made the last one. As she reached the ground once again she let out a bout of laughter that she deemed radical.

Approaching her hive, she skidded to a stop. She popped up her board once again, and carried it towards the door. Her hair blew slightly in the breeze as she stood still for a moment, looking up to the single lit window. Seems Mituna was home. She tilted her head for a moment. She could have sworn she heard. Shouting. Well, that wasn’t good.

 Latula opened the door, careful to not make too much noise to agitate Mituna. With a slow hand, she placed down her skateboard at the entrance, and began her way up the Hive’s stairs. She was glad that she was a Teal, so that her Hive was solidly built. That way the stairs didn’t creak at all as she ascended up to the floor that Tuna’s riotous sounds were coming from. She wasn’t particularly pleased with the site that was revealed to her upon reaching it.

 He had certainly made a mess. There were some foodstuffs thrown about, and an unsightly stain on the wall. At least the dream-bubble would reset soon, and the stains would be cleaned. But if he was throwing things then this was not a good time for him. He only did that when he was in a really bad mood. She hoped she could move him from it.

 Latula moved over to the room at the end of the corridor, where she could hear Mituna’s garbled speech. With slow moments, she twisted the door handle, and eased it open. Her apprehensive eyes fell upon seeing him. He was curled up, leaning against the wall. His hands were twitching and grabbing at his head. Even she couldn’t understand what he was currently saying, and she had spent years getting attuned to it.

 As she inched into the room, his head shot up and twitched slightly, his eyes locking onto her for a split second. She put up her hands in an “it’s okay” gesture, making no sudden movements as she did. His head snapped back down, and he continued his agitated rambling. He made no direct response to Latula moving closer, and eventually settling down beside him. He was still clicking and mumbling incomprehensibly.

 “Tuna?” She spoke gently.

 He clutched his head and mumbled something, his words still not understandable.

 “You okay?”

 Mituna faintly shook his head, his mouth still twitching into a snarl several times a second. Latula gently moved her arm, slipping it around his shoulder. She occasionally stopped when he tensed, before continuing as he eased. She eventually managed to get him under her arm, and rubbed his shoulder as he murmured.

 His hands were still jerking and convulsing a bit, but as time went on they slowed, and his speech returned to something that could be understood.

 “I’m sorry.” It made her sad that that seemed to be the one line he could say best.

 She shushed him. “No, it’s okay, you did nothing wrong.”

 He buried his head in his knees. “But te wlal haz staef on itit.”

 “No, Tuna, it’s okay, it will go away in a while.” She gave his shoulder a squeeze. “Don’t worry about it.”

 His mouth slowed down, and soon a tiny smile emerged. “Are you shure?”

 “Yes!” She laughed slightly. He seemed to cheer up slightly, his smile growing and his shoulders relaxing.

 “Okays, if yeel say sho.”

 Latula giggled.

 “Now how about we go and get some sweet grinds?”

 Mituna beamed at that, and pulled himself from his corner. He was nodding enthusiastically. As Latula prepared to get up he reached out, grabbing her arms and hoisting her up. She laughed as she was pulled up, hopping slightly off the ground.

 Still holding onto her arm, he led her out of the room, picking up his skateboard by the door as he did. Latula couldn’t help but smile wildly. Mituna almost tripped heading down the stairs, causing her to pull him back up by the hand that was holding her arm. He stammered out a quick sorry, and continued down. Latula laughed even more, and grabbed her board as they went out the door.

 Going out onto the street, they both hopped onto their boards, and pushing along with their back feet. The streets where as quiet as before, only the sound of their wheels being heard. Mituna seemed slightly wobbly as they took the corners, but he seemed to have learned to adjust himself for such things. His style was weird and jerky, but he had regained some of his old skill. There were moments were a bad jerk would send him off, but he seemed to be getting control of that as well. He was almost nearing the skill he had when he once taught her to ride.

 He was riding pretty well when they finally reached the skate-park. It was, as expected, abandoned. Sometimes there were other variants of Mituna and her there, and sometimes even some of their dancestors, who had taken up skating. But that had become a rare occasion recently. She had little idea why, but she wasn’t complaining; her and Tuna needed some alone time. It had been too long, in her opinion.

 They both didn’t stop as they reached the pool, both going down over the edge and picking up speed exponentially. Latula grinned as Mituna reached the end of the pool, riding up the end and managing a kick-flip in the air before coming back down. She followed suite, throwing in a second spin for good measure. She was tempted to try for a varial, but rescinded to warming up a bit on the ramps first, rather than go for something so advanced so quickly.

 They spent some amount of time there, grinding the edges, and attempting to land increasingly ambitious stunts. There were times when Tuna fell, smacking down from a failed flip or a sketchy landing, and Latula would quickly ride to him and check was he okay. There was once or twice when Latula herself fell, and Tune would immediately stop riding, even if he was halfway into the air. He would tumble down the side of the ramp, his helmet rapping off the concrete several times, and quickly crawl over to see if she was okay. It was somewhat adorable, although slightly concerning. He didn’t seem to care though, as he was far more concerned with her safety than his own.

 After a few hours, Latula was still going strong, although Mituna seemed to be tiring. She decided it was about time that they left to go back, and pulled up beside him when he was finished a breather.

 “So,” She smirked at him. “How about a race home?”

 Mituna beamed at her, his shoulder picking up with a new energy. He loved races. They were often the only thing that could shake him from a tired state. “Yeesh!”

 The girl grinned, and began to jog towards the street, followed closely behind by her partner. As she neared the stretch of road beside the park, she jumped, sliding the board beneath her. She heard the clicking of wheels against pavement behind her, saying that Mituna had done the same.  

 They pushed themselves to a considerable speed, and began their way. Even if it was a race: they both threw in some tricks, or tried to get some air. She occasionally heard a waver of wheels, and a muttered string of curses by Mituna, who almost fell from his board. Latula was sure she would have to slow down to make the race at least close, but was surprised as Mituna came up to her side, matching her speed, as they approached the Hive.

 They both dropped lower, and watched as the Hive came closer, and closer, until…

 “SHIT!” Latula yelled, as Mituna ran straight into a curb, flying through the air before landing hard against the grassy yard just before her hive, face down. Skidding to a halt, she hopped form her board, and ran towards him. He wasn’t moving.

 She crouched down at his side, reaching out to touch his shoulder. Just as she did so, he swung his arm out, taking her legs from under her. She went down with a yelp, and watched as her matesprit quickly scrambled up, running to the door of the Hive, and laughing in triumph while waving his arms about frantically.

 “I winne!”

 Latula couldn’t help but laugh, rolling onto her back. Mituna was giggling as well. After near a minute of reoccurring bouts of sniggering, they both retrieved their boards, and returned to the Hive. Mituna removed his helmet as he went in.

 Once just inside the door, Latula threw her arms around Mituna, pressing her lips to his. He smiled into the kiss and wrapped his slightly trembling arms around her. After a small giggle from Mituna’s side, Latula separated from him, smiling widely. He was wearing a big toothy grin on his face, and his eyes were hidden by his fringe of black hair.

 She smirked at him, nodding her head to the room next to him, indicating what she thought they should do next. His smile grew even wider.

 “Vidya Gaemses?” He asked excitedly.

 “Video games indeed.”

 Mituna giggled as he pulled away running into the side room. Latula followed a few seconds later, smiling to herself. Mituna was already setting up the console, and had grabbed two controllers. He tossed one over to her, and she caught it with a quick hand. As the game started up, he giggled maniacally, and leapt onto the couch that sat in the room, holding his controller out in front of him. Latula followed suite, landing beside him and snuggling into his side. Chances were within the next few minutes she would be leaning forward and tapping the buttons quicker than was visible, while making an array of reactive sounds to the events of the game. But for now she was pleased with every second she spent resting her head against her matesprit’s shoulder.

 The game started.


End file.
